Aljamain Sterling explains why he is keeping his walk-around weight between 170-173 pounds
Although making his featherweight debut at UFC 300, Aljamain Sterling is not drastically changing his physical condition.
Responding to fan questions on social media, Sterling confirmed via X that he would not be bulking up for his next fight despite competing in a new weight class. Sterling claims that the decision was made with the advice of the UFC Performance Institute, which claimed that his weight was on par with most featherweights.
Sterling also tweeted that he did not want to cut a large amount of weight as he did for bantamweight bouts, stating that his most recent weight cuts negatively affected his stamina.
In the quote tweet, Sterling also confirmed that his current walk-around weight is between 170 and 173 pounds.
Fans concerned with 'The Funk Master' potentially having trouble dealing with the size of Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 were mildly put at ease on Jan. 19 when the former champion defeated lightweight Chase Hooper in a grappling match at ADXC 2.
Though the fight card order is not yet confirmed, Sterling and Kattar are expected to compete on the main card of UFC 300 on April 13.
Aljamain Sterling defeats Chase Hooper by points at ADXC 2
In preparation for facing the veteran Calvin Kattar at UFC 300, Aljamain Sterling competed against and defeated the larger Chase Hooper at ADXC 2 on Jan. 19.
Since losing the UFC bantamweight belt at UFC 292 to Sean O'Malley, Sterling has immersed himself in the Brazilian jiu-jitsu community. The American has competed in three grappling matches since his last UFC fight, going 2-1 with wins against Chase Hooper and Mike Grundy.
With the current matchup with Kattar targeted for April 13, Sterling will likely return to fight camp soon in hopes of bouncing back from his first MMA loss since 2017. Kattar is currently on a two-fight losing streak, with his last fight resulting in a knee injury.
Though Sterling will be competing at featherweight for the first time in the UFC, the New York native has been speaking of a move up from bantamweight for several years due to his large frame and muscle mass.